Boat propelling device



Sept. 12, 1939. N. H. NELSON BOAT PROPELLING DEVICE Filed July 12, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 grwcwkw Nels H. Nelspn Patented Sept. 12, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT; ()FFlC-E 7 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in boat propelling devices.

In many localities, in numerous pursuits,'and at the hands of many users, the conventional, engine powered outboard propelling devices for boats fail to meet the requirements because of excessive original costs, maintenance costs, nonavallability of fuel and lubrication supply and lack of ready portability.

An object of my present invention is to provide a simple, durable, readily portable, and relatively inexpensive hand powered outboard propelling device for small boats, adapted to be easily attached to and detached from such boats and capable of ei'ficiently propelling and steering the same.

A further object of the invention is to provide a boat propelling device having a propeller and a revoluble driving member therefor adapted to be turned by hand'and bodily swung from side to side to swing said propeller into various steering positions, another object of the invention being to provide means for stationing the hand driving member, selectively, in the various positions into which it may be swung and to supply additional independently operable means for swinging the propeller into various steering positions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a revoluble hand driving member consisting of a wheel rormed with an annular hand grip along which the hand may be shifted from point to point for progressively renewing the grip and to further provide means for readily converting such.

member into a driving crank for uninterrupted grasp by the hand of the user.

A still further object of the invention is to supply a hand driving member, as above, having a pair of coaxially disposed hand wheels, one for each hand, whereby upon the alternate application of the hands of a user to their respective annular hand grips, an uninterrupted transmission of power to the propeller is attained and uninterrupted control of the propeller as a steering medium provided.

Other objects of the invention reside in the novel combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter illustrated and/or described.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevational view "of an embodiment of my invention; Fig. 2 is another elevational view thereof, the same being taken from the front of the device; Fig. 3 is a vertical central sectional view of the lower portion of the device and illustrates the propeller 56 and rudder mounting; Fig. i a vertical, central sectional view of the upper portion of the device and illustrates the mechanism for transmitting power from the hand wheels to the countershaft through which the propeller is driven, also the construction by means of which the propeller is 5 swung from side to side independently of the hand wheels; Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken as on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1, but drawn to a larger scale, and Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of said Fig. 1 and drawn to a 10 larger scale.

Reference being had to the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that my invention embodies a structure generally similar in type to the conventional engine driven outboard propelling l5 mechanisms used on small boats. My improved device includes a tubular body A having a mounting B therefor by means of which said device is clamped to the stern of a boat with said tubular body normally in substantially upright position. At the upper end of the tubular body A and otfset therefrom are a pair of hand wheels l0, while at the lower end of said body A, is a propeller 42. The propeller 42 is connected with the hand wheels Ill so that it is rotated when said hand wheels are revolved and is swung one way or the other upon a corresponding swinging movement of the hand wheels I II.

The mounting B includes an anchoring clamp I2 and a split sleeve l3 carried thereby, said sleeve 30 I3 receiving the tubular body A and being partially cut away medially thereof at its open side. At each end portion of the split sleeve l3 are paired lugs ll through which a clamping bolt I5 is passed, said bolt being free to turn in one of the lugs, but threaded in the other lug. Each of the clamping bolts l5 has a finger piece IE to facilitate the turning thereof. With these bolts l5 loosened sufficiently, the tubular body A may turn in said sleeve l3, under greater or lesser restraint, as desired. Abutment collars l1, encircling the tubular body A and adjustably secured thereto by means of screws l8 in positions above and beneath the split sleeve l3, provide for the lengthwise adjustment of said body A with respect to said sleeve II for purposes later to appear. The clamp l2 has two end members I! connected together in spaced relati": by means of webs 20, 2|, each end member being of inverted U-shaped formation and having an ear 22 thereon. These ears 22 are apertured to receive a pintle 23 which passes through an aperture in a boss 24 formed at the upper end of the split sleeve I3 at the closed side thereof, said pintle 23 serving as a pivoting medium between clamp I 2 and sleeve propeller shaft 28. The clamp i2 receives n upstanding portion of a boat between the front and rear legs 85, 88 of its end members It. The rear legs 88 provide abutments for engagementwith the outside of the boat and the front legs 28 are provided with clampingscrews 81 fitted with finger pieces 88, saidscrewsservingtoengagetheinside ofthe boatandrigidlysecuretheeiamp Hinpoaiti on the boat structure. Pivoted to the real leg of one of the end members I. of the clamp ii.

a quadrant 88. the same being slotted lengthwise thereof as at 88. Passing through the slot 88 in said quadrant 28'isa clamping screw 8| which is threaded in a boss 81 issuing from one side of the split sleeve II. This boss 88 provides an abut.- ment for the inner face of the quadrant 28 and the screw II has a piece 84, said head being adapted to engage the outer face of said quadrant. Thus, by means of said quadrant I8 and. clamping screw II, the tubular body A of the device may be disposed in an upright position or in certain relatively inclined positions,'as the hereinafter described uses of the device may require.

A tubular stem 85 received within the tubular body A and extending the full length thereof projects from said body at its lower end. This stem 88 forms a mounting for a gear case C which is rigidly secured to said stem. Disposed within the stem 88 and mounted in upper and lower bearings 86, 81 therein is a tubular counter-shaft 88. A bevel gear 88 housed within the gear case C is secured to the counter-shaft 88. This gear 88 meshes with a bevel gear 40 secured to a ll Journaled in said housing and projecting from the rear thereof, such projecting end of said propeller shaft ll being fitted with the propeller l! of the screw type having blades of suitable size, number and pitch. The gear case C, as shown, consists of two shell-like pieces 43 having meeting flanges 44 secured together by means of screws 45. These flanges 84 are formed to provide a boss 88 which receives the stem 85 and, further, to provide aligned bosses 81. to receive bushings 88 for the propeller shaft 8!.

A rudder l8 issuing from the gear case C, consists of a plate integral with and depending from one of the pieces 88 of said gear case, said plate being located in the plane of the axis of the stem 85. The leading edge of this rudder plate 48 is curved in the manner of a sled runner to cause the rudder to ride over any obstructions it might encounter.

Near the upper end of the tubular body A, a section thereof is cut-away to expose a portion of the stem 85, the tubular body proper and the terminal portion 58 thereof being tied together by means of .a rearwardly projecting web 5| integral with both thereof. Also integrally formed with the terminal portion 58 of said tubular body A is aforwardly projecting flange 82 lying in the same plane as the web 5i. Said web 5| provides a-handle 53 by means of which the de vice may be conveniently carried substantially balanced in the natural position of the arm, said web belngslotted as at 54 to receive the flngers of a hand and formed with a rib-55 paralleling said slot and conforming to the hand grasping said handle.

At the top of the device and branching of! from the body A is an elongated transmission housing D including two side members 58 formed with meeting flanges 51 secured together by screws 58. This housing D is secured at one end thereof 'to the upperend of the body A and projects for- 81 of the side members head a. fitted with aflng To provide for securing the to the body A, the flanges 58 are enlarged to form legs 8!. These legs 58 are shaped jointly to receive the upper portion of the web 5i the flange 82 and the terminal portion of thetubular body A. Bolts 88 passing through said legs 88 and through said web I and flange 58 rigidly connect said housing D to ing section formed by the two side members 8 has a bottom opening and about this opening are horizontally disposed connecting flanges 8| formed on said side members 58. Closing said opening is a bottom housingmember 82 formed with a continuous flange 88 matching the flanges 8| of the side members 88. Fastening screws 84, passing through the flange 88 of the bottom housing member 82 and through the flanges 8| of the side housing members 58; secure said bottom member 82 to the side members 58. Said flanges SI of the side members 58 and said flange 88 of the-bottom housing member 82 are formed revolubly to receive the cylindrical portions 85 of two coaxially disposed spool-like rotor frames 88. The inner annular flanges 61 of said rotor frames are contained within the transmission housing D and the outer annular flanges 88 thereof are disposed alongside said housing. Coaxially disposed with respect to said latter flanges 68 and secured theretoby means of bolts 88 are the hand wheels l8, each of the two thereof comprising a web Ill and an annular'tubular rim H forming a continuous 'hand grip.

' Disposed between the inner flanges 81 of the rotor frames 86 is a sprocket wheel I2. Bolts 18 passing through said flanges 61 and said sprocket wheel I2 clamp the latter between said flanges and rigidly secure together said rotor frames 88 and sprocket wheel 12. A center bolt I4 passing through the webs 18 of the hand wheels I, the rotor frames 86 and sprocket wheel I2, clamps all of said parts together in axially aligned relation.

Intermediately of the transmission housing D and between the side. members 56 thereof is a Journal I5 having an axial bore therein which receives a mounting bolt 18 passing through said side members 58. Revolubly mounted on said journal 15 and disposed in the plane of the sprocket wheel 12 is a small sprocket wheel 11. Connecting said sprocket wheels 12 and 11 is a sprocket chain 18. Clutched to the sprocket wheel ll and mounted on its said journal l5'is a large sprocket wheel 19. At the rear of the transmission housing D is a journal 88, similar to the journal 15, a mounting bolt 8|. passing through the side members 56 of the housing and through said journal 88; being employed to secure the latter in place with the axis thereof intersecting the axis of the counter-shaft 88 within the tubular body A. Mounted on said journal is a small sprocket wheel 82 which is connected by a sprocket chain 88 to the large sprocket wheel I! on the journal 15. A bevel gear 84 mounted on the journal 88 and clutched to said small sprocket wheel 82 meshes with a bevel gear 85 on the counter-shaft 88.

From the foregoing, it will be'understood that the propeller 42 is rotated in either direction by the hand wheels l8 and that the propeller 82 is appreciably geared up through the powertransmitting train between said hand wheels l8 and said propeller.

Between the terminal section 58 of the tubular body A and said body proper is a sleeve 88 which is keyed to the stem 88 by means of screws 81 wardly therefrom. end of the housing D the body A. The houstightening the screws (Figs. 1 and 4). At the front of this sleeve 06 is a boss 09 and pivoted on a pintle 09 passing horizontally through said boss 09 is a butt member having a socket 9| in which the end of a steering lever 92 is secured. Said butt member 90 also has a depending lug 93. Compressed between said lug 93 and a seat 94, formed on the sleeve 05, is a helical spring 95 operating yieldingly to press the shoulder 96 on the butt member 90 against the lower side of a quadrant 91 formed integrally with the terminal section 50 of the tubular body A. This quadrant 97 has marginal notches 99 therein for the reception of a latch lug 99 on the butt member 90, when said member is allowed to be swung by the spring 95 into position with the shoulder 90 thereof against the lower face of said quadrant 91. With the butt member 90 interlocked with the quadrant 91, through the medium of the latching lug 99, relative angular movement between the stem 35 and tubular body A is prevented, but when the steering lever 92 is sufliciently depressed against the action of the spring 95 to disengage the latch lug 99 from the notched quadrant 91, the stem 35 may be turned about its axis, through the medium of said steering lever 92, independently of the tubular body A.

Attached to the webs I0 of the juxtaposed coaxially related hand wheels I0 and in diametrically opposed relation are similar hand levers I00 carrying handles IOI, said levers being hinged to said wheels and swingable from operative positions (dotted lines, Fig. 5), wherein the handle of each lever is disposed adjacent to the perimeter of its respective wheel, to inoperative positions (solid lines, Fig. 5), wherein the handle of each lever is disposed in shielded position adjacent to the center of its respective wheel. The hinging of each hand lever IM to its respective wheel I0 is accomplished by means of a hinge pin I02 secured at its ends in companion lugs I03 issuing from the web I0 of the wheel and about which pin the lever may turn. Each lever IOI has relatively offset reaches I04, I05, the reach I05 being received and caught between one pair of spring jaws I06 in the operative position of said lever and the inner reach I04 being re-\ ceived and caught between a second pair of spring jaws I01 in the inoperative position of said lever, said pairs of spring jaws I05, I 01 being mounted on the web I0 of the wheel I0 at up posite sides of the hinge pin I02.

The device is readily balanced and carried from place to place with one hand grasping the handle 53. It is easily applied to a boat by lowring the clamp I2 over the edge thereof and 21 against an upright portion of the boat. In normally operative position on a boat, the tubular body A is stationed in substantially upright position with the propeller 42 more or less submerged in the water, according to the selected adjustment of the abutment collars I! on said body. The upright positioning of the body A is readily acquired by proper adjustment through the medium of the clamping screw 3| and quadrant brace 29. The device is normally clamped to the stern of a boat in line with the keel, the hand wheels I0 being located above and partially forwardly of the rear seat.

For some purposes of use, the steering lever 92 is allowed to remain automatically locked to deprive the tubular body A and stem 35 of relative angular movement and, too, the hand levers I00 on the wheels I0 are swung into their inoperative positions, Under these circumstances,

the clamping screws I5 on the split sleeve I3 are only slightly tightened, whereby the angular relation of the body- A relative to the split sleeve I3, will be maintained except for the application of force to the hand wheels I0 in a manner tending to swing other. Thus, a user facing the stern of the boat and sitting one. seat in front of the hand wheels I0 may propel the boat by rotating said hand wheels and may, at the same time, steer the boat by swinging said hand wheels I0 one way or the other as may be required. This concurrent rotation and swinging of the hand wheels I0 is readily accomplished since one hand or the other is grasping the annular hand grip 'II of its respective wheel I0 while the other hand is sliding along the other wheel to take a new position for a renewed grip thereon. In steering, by swinging the hand wheels I0 as they are being turned to propel the boat, it may be desirable in view of changing air and/or water currents to alter the angular. relation of the stem 35 and body A, which, as above indicated, may be readily accomplished through the medium of the steering lever 92 in changing the interlocking relationship between the butt member 90 and the quadrant 9'I. By being able to propel and steer a boat solely through the medium of the hand wheels I 0, or even one thereof, a user may conveniently and quietly follow a shore line while fishing, hunting with gun or camera, or while sightseeing. The ability to quickly change the course 01' a boat by means of the hand wheels I0, which also are used to rotate the propeller 42, provides for the convenient maneuvering of the boat about docks and other landings and it affords protection against collision with objects discovered hard by in the travel of the boat.

Under a condition in which the user wishes to occupy the rear seat of the boat and dispense with steering through the medium of the hand wheels I0, he will rigidly clamp the body A in the split sleeve I3 with the near hand wheel I0 conveniently positioned. The hand lever I00 on that wheel will be swung into its operative position and the wheel rotated thereby while the steering of the boat is effected by means of the steering lever 92, depressed for freedom of movement or from time to time shifted from one latched position thereof to another, as may be required.

Under conditions requiring the application of relatively great power to the propeller 42 the hand levers I00 on both wheels I0 may be swung into their operative positions and manipulated, one by one person and the other by a second person, one of such persons, in such case, handling the steering lever 92 to guide the boat.

' The device proper may be tilted on the clamp I2 and held by the quadrant 29 and the screw 3I in such position to keep the propeller 42 and rudder 49 from striking bottom in shallow water and also to reduce the drag drifting, or when'the boat means of oars or paddles.

Changes in the specific form of my invention, as herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Havng described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A unitary boat propelling device comprising a tubular body, a stem fitted into and revolubly supported by said body, a propeller carried by said is being propelled by stem, a mounting for supporting said body on a' boat with the propeller submerged in the water said wheels one way or the of the propeller while 4 floating Eie boat. said tubular having an spaced above u'pper terminal portion proper, power supplying means mounted on said ,thcreto, yielding means terminal portion of saidjody and connected with said propeller for driving the same, alatching member on said terminal portion of the body, a sleeve encircling and secured to said stem between the body proper and said terminal portion thereof, a butt member pivoted to said sleeve for vertical swi ng movement, a latching device on said butt member selectively engageable with said latching member in different positions relative acting on said butt member and reacting against said sleeve to move the butt member and engage the latching device thereon with said latching member, and a handle secured to the butt member and serving two purposes, one to move the butt member against the action of said yielding means and release the latching device thereon from said latching member, and the other to turn the stem relative to the body, when the latching device on said butt memher is freed from said latching member on said a tubular body, a tubular stem fitted into and revolubly supported by said body, a mounting for swivelly supporting said body in upright position tendingthrough said housing and stem andconnecting said hand wheels with said propeller for driving the latter from the former, said hand wheels serving, through said housing, to swivel the body in said mounting and thereby change the relation of the prop'ellerwith respect to the boat for steering purposes.

3. A unitary boat propelling device comprising a tubular body, a tubular stem fitted into and revolubly supported by said body, a propeller carried by said stem, a mounting for swivelly supporting said body on a boat with the propeller submerged in the water floating the boat, hand operated means carried by said body in position accessible to an occupant of the boat, power transmitting mechanism connecting said hand operated means with said propeller for driving the latter from the former, a portion of said mechanism being disposed within said tubular stem, said hand operated means serving to turn the body in said mounting and thereby change the relation of the propeller with respect to the boat for steering purposes, a hand lever for turning said stem relative to said body, and latching means for securing the stem in selected angular relation 2. ll unitary boat propelling device comprising positions with respect to the body, said hand lever 'servingto release said latching means.

4. A unitary'boa't propelling device comprising a tubular body, a tubular stem fitted into and revolubly supported by said body, a propeller carried by said stem, a mounting for swivelly supporting said body on a boat with the propeller submerged in the water floating the boat, hand operated means carried by said body in position accessible to' an occupant of the boat, power transmitting mechanism connecting said hand 1 operated means with said propeller for driving the later from the former, a'\portion of said mechanism being disposed within said tubular stem, said hand operated means serving to turn the body in said mountingand thereby change the of the propeller with respect to the boat for steering purposes, a hand lever for turning said stem relative to said body and latching means for securing the stem in selected angular positions with respect to said body.

5. A'unitary boat pro ng device comprising a tubular body, a stem fitted into and revolubly supported by said body, a propeller carried by said stem, a mounting for supporting said body on a boat with the propeller submerged in the water floating the boat, power supplying means carried by said body, power transmitting mechanism connecting said power supplying means with said propeller for driving the latter from the former, a hand lever for turning said stem relative to said body, and latching means for securing the stem in selected angular positions with respect to the body, said handlever serving to release said latching means.

6. A unitary boat propelling device comprising a tubular body, a stem fitted into and revolubly supported by said body, a mounting for supporting said'body in upright position on a boat with the lower end of said stem submerged in the water floating the boat, a propeller carried by said stem at said lower end thereof, a pair of juxtaposed coaxially arranged hand wheels carried by said body and accessible to an occupant of the boat, power transmitting means connecting said hand wheels with said propeller for driving the latter from the former, and means for turning s'aid stem to change the relation of the propeller with respect to the boat for steering purposes.

'1. A unitary boat propelling device comprising a body, a propeller carried thereby, a mounting for supporting said body on a boat with the propeller submerged in the water floating the boat,

said body being angularly adjustable in said mounting, a pair of juxtaposed coaxially related hand wheels, carried by said body in position accessible to an occupant of the boat, and power transmitting means connecting said hand wheels with said propeller for driving the latter from the former.

' NEIB H. NELSON. 

